


Murder on the Rainbow Magic Express [MYSTERY]

by EllieWan



Series: Siegetober 2020 [17]
Category: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Video Games)
Genre: Cheesy, Choose Your Own Adventure, Dreams, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mystery, Rainbow is Magic, Siegetober (Rainbow Six), Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:48:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27080713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieWan/pseuds/EllieWan
Summary: Kapkan wakes up stuck in a pink magic train where a crime has been committed.He needs to solve the mystery and get back to reality.(A choose your own adventure fanfiction)
Relationships: Maxim "Kapkan" Basuda/Timur "Glaz" Glazkov
Series: Siegetober 2020 [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948948
Comments: 12
Kudos: 14





	1. Murder on the Rainbow Magic Express

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I was sober when I wrote this (not sure it's a good thing tho haha)
> 
> Also beware, this is a **"Choose your own adventure"** kind of fic. So, at the end of each chapter, you will have to choose what you do and pick ONE chapter to go to 😊 It’s not much, basically you’ll have two small choices on the whole story, chapter 8 is mandatory.
> 
> Hope you’ll enjoy it o/  
> \+ Sry for any mistake / weird phrasing.
> 
> Some music tracks I've been listening to, while writing this, if you want in end notes.

Maxim was rocked by a familiar sound. A sound of wood, metal, bolts, mechanisms; the sound of an old wagon tossed on the rails of an old train line. He opened his eyes and was immediately surprised by the compartment in which he was lying. Everything was painted pink, with patterns of hearts, stars; it looked like a typical American pastry, full of buttercream and covered with sugar paste. He was lying on a bunk, the other three were empty. He put his feet on the floor and immediately noticed that his rangers were canary yellow, and his gorka candy-pink, his plate carrier rainbow-colored iridescent with blue splashes, as if someone had thrown gouache on it.

“What the hell? I’m dreaming?”

He straightened up and went to look at himself in the reflection of the window.  
Even his camouflage paint was pink. He ran his fingers over it and realized it even had glitter in it.

"AAAH LT BASUDA! YOU ARE AWAKE! I REQUIRE YOUR ASSISTANCE!”

Maxim turned around, pulling by reflex his combat knife... which was a blue plastic knife.  
The man who had called him was... how shall he put it...

“What the hell are you?”

“I'm your captain, of course. Captain Crocovich, don't you recognize me? You must have drunk too much unicorn syrup last night.”

Ah yes, that's it. **A crocodile**. The man who had called him, was simply a sort of creamy white crocodile, but bipedal, and dressed in a spetsnaz equipment similar to his, but just as colorful...

“I must be losing my shit” Maxim grumbled “What kind of joke is this?! What is this place?!”

"We are on board of the Rainbow Magic Express, you must have hit your head while sleeping! But anyway, please get up, we have to discuss... I am afraid that something _appalling_ happened during the night...“

‘Captain Crocovich’ disappeared into the corridor, his scaly tail bumping against the pink wood of the walls. Maxim followed him, completely lost. He fumbled at his plate carrier looking for his pistol, but nothing; his only weapon was his plastic butter knife... He followed the captain to the dining car. Everything was decorated like in a pink and fairy doll's house. The liquor bottles were all full of multicolored and phosphorescent liquids, the beer pistons were made of unicorn horns, and the manager was... a Siberian tigress? _Literally._

“Olga, let me introduce you to Maxim Basuda, my faithful Lieutenant. Lieutenant, this is Miss Gagarina. She is the one who found the body.”

_The body?_

The tigress, perfectly bipedal and dressed in a beautiful purple uniform moved away from the bar and came to stand in front of Maxim. She was way taller than him. In fact, he felt like a dwarf next to the two animals.

“Nice to meet you Lieutenant. You can call me Olga.”

She gave Maxim her paw in a theatrical and gallant way, even offering him a wink. Maxim played along, hoping to get out of this dream, or hallucination, _or whatever it was_. He grabbed her big paw and clumsily squeezed it, wondering for a moment if she had waited for him to kiss it.

“Miss Gagarina was the one who found the body of poor Rabb Itovich. Can you please repeat to my lieutenant what you told me earlier?”

“Of course, Captain. I was doing the breakfast dishes, at approx. 10AM. And I suddenly heard a loud crash in car 13, the one just in front of the dining car. I ran as fast as I could, my paws were still full of washing up liquid, and that's when I found Mr. Rabb Itovich on the floor, unbatteried! »

“Unbatteried?” Maxim repeated.

“Yes. His battery had been removed!”

“Why would someone take his battery out?” Crocovich wondered.

“To hurt him, probably! We offer a battery recharging service in every bunk of the train. The person who did this wanted to voluntarily deactivate Mr. Rabb Itovich!”

Maxim brought his fingers to his mouth and triturated his lip, thinking.

“The culprit returned to the front of the train. Did you close the perimeter?” Maxim mumbled, playing along.

“Absolutely, Maxim!” The Captain replied "The culprit couldn’t have reached the second part of the train.”

“Have you started questioning potential witnesses or suspects?”

“No, not yet. We have asked travellers to stay in their compartments until we give further instructions. I leave it up to you to decide how to proceed with our investigation, Lieutenant”

>   * "Hm, I would like to **inspect the body of Mr... Rabb Itovich**. We might be able to find traces of a struggle and understand how he got... unbatteried" ([Chapter 2](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27080713/chapters/66122683))
>   * "Hm, I'd like to **inspect the crime scene.** We might find clues as to how the culprit acted and how they fled." ([Chapter 5](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27080713/chapters/66123061))
> 


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not very original but eh :) 
> 
> Lady GaGa - 911  
> Natalia Kills - Take me to wonderland  
> Danny Elfman - Alice's Theme  
> Patrick Doyle - Justice (Murder on the Orient Express soundtrack) for Chapter 8


	2. Inspect Rabb Itovich's body.

"Hm, I would like to inspect the body of Mr... Rabb Itovich. We might be able to find traces of a struggle and understand how he got... unbatteried".

"Very well, please follow me!” Olga guided them.

She led them to the compartment of Mr. Rabb Itovich, in the second part of the train, not far from where Maxim had woken up. She opened the door and Maxim opened his eyes.

Mr. Rabb Itovich was a giant white rabbit, lying on the bunk with his fat fur lolling on the side, pulled down by gravity. Olga waved them in and closed behind her, the three makeshift investigators completely cramped in the cabin.

"Um... so... where is his battery usually?” Maxim asked.

Olga grabbed Mr. Rabb Itovich, pushing Maxim against the window and turned Mr. Rabb Itovich over to reveal his back. She pulled out a discreet zipper, to which was attached a key chain with a small "6" on a multicolored polygon, and opened his back in the most natural way in the world. Maxim frowned as he looked closer:

"It runs on a... a _giant AA battery_? »

Olga looked at him in shock and Captain Crocovich cleared his throat.

" _It_ doesn't _run_ , Mr. Basuda. _He lives_ thanks to his magic battery.”

"Yes, yes, sorry. And um... the base looks intact to me. Couldn't we find one somewhere else?”

Olga seemed to think and Crocovich continued:

“That’s a good point” the crocodile said “Even if the entirety of his magical emotional memory won't come back to him, with a spare battery he could at least tell us what happened to him.”

“But Mr. Rabb Itovich is from the magic A+ group. We don't have a stack of A+ on board.”

“Isn't there always a battery of O- magic? These are the new norms, aren't they?”

“Alas, have you seen the state this train is already in...”

"We could ask for one at the next station, the City of Tart Sweets, if we stop long enough?” Crocovich suggested.

"We could do that, we'll get there in less than ten minutes” Olga informed “But we have formally forbidden any passenger to get off the train until the investigation is closed. That said, Mr. Dendrobov had several batteries in his luggage. I know that, because it was a real hell to help him put them in the luggage rack, maybe we could borrow one from him?”

"For all we know, he could still be a suspect in this case... what’s your opinion, Lieutenant Basuda?”

Maxim was so lost in this affair that he almost forgot his own name.

>   * "I think it's better t **o retrieve a battery of O- at the station** , the Captain is right, everyone is a potential culprit for all we know.” ([Chapter 3](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27080713/chapters/66122818/))  
>    
> 
>   * "I think we shouldn't waste a minute and **ask Mr... Dendrobov to lend us a battery** , hoping it's from the right bloo- uuugh _magic_ group.” ([Chapter 4](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27080713/chapters/66123019/))
> 



	3. Retrieve an O- battery at the station.

"I think it's better to retrieve a battery of O- at the station, the Captain is right, everyone is a potential culprit for all we know.”

"Understood. I suggest you go down the junction between car 15 and 16. Remember, you are the only one authorized to leave this train.”

Maxim nodded, and went to position himself at the junction, patiently waiting for the arrival at the station. The landscape continued to pass by, completely saturated with bright and magical colors. Grass so green you would have thought it was radioactive, snow coats in the shape of marshmallows, even the clouds were in fucking cotton candy. The train whistled and spitting steam, Maxim felt a horrible candy factory odor filling his nostrils. He coughed into his neck warmer and leaned against the railing, soft under his hands. Of course, it was fucking gingerbread.

He then saw a few cookie houses, and it quickly turned into a saturation of sweets and pastries in all directions when the train arrived in town. He hopped off on the platform and ran towards one of the station employees, recognizable by his purple headgear similar to Olga's uniform.

“Sir, I need batteries!”

“Batteries? What's the matter?”

“Just tell me where to find a fucking O- battery!”

The employee quickly reacted, still, throwing a few shocked glances at Maxim's intention. They ran into a building made of sponge cake and the employee opened the double door wide:

"Which one do you need, sir?”

Maxim was in front of a real library of batteries.  
All sizes, all shapes, all powers.

"How should I know?!” Maxim shouted "I need a battery for a big white rabbit!”

The employee then rushed to open a drawer and pulled out a large battery of sugar paste.

"It's O- ma-magic?”

"Yes, sir!”

Maxim retrieved it and hurried, briefly thanking the employee. He rushed to the train and Captain Crocovich helped him board. The train started moving again almost immediately, as if it had been waiting for him. They then rushed to Rabb Itovich's cabin and Olga opened the rabbit's back so that Maxim could insert the battery.

> Insert the battery. ([Chapter 8](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27080713/chapters/66123418))


	4. Ask Mr. Dendrobov for a battery.

"I think we shouldn't waste a minute and ask Mr... Dendrobov to lend us a battery, hoping it's from the right bloo- uuugh magic group.” Maxim mumbled.

Olga nodded:

"All right, follow me, I'll take you to his compartment.”

They walked through the restaurant car again and joined the first part of the train. The one where the culprit was locked up. Somewhere. Maxim wondered if he would wake up after he caught the culprit. Or maybe even before? After all, what if he got off at the next station? The dream would come to an end, wouldn't it? What if he had just completely lost his mind? What if he never came to his senses and got stuck in this tooth-rotting nightmare?

“Lieutenant? This is the place.”

Olga put her paw on his shoulder and Maxim blinked, shaking his thoughts away.  
Oh, yes, that’s right. _Mr. Dendrobov_.

Maxim knocked on the compartment door:

"Mr. Dendrobov, it's Lieutenant Basuda. Can we talk to you?”

"Of course! Please come in”

Mr. Dendrobov lifted the latch and let them in. Mr. Dendrobov was a tiny brown toad, it looked like he was made of chocolate. A _chocolate frog_ perhaps? Maxim remembered reading that somewhere. But wait- how the hell did he even lift the latch?!

Olga closed the door behind the three of them and sat down next to Mr. Dendrobov. Crocovich also sat down on the opposite bunk, and Maxim stood and muttered:

"I... um... we would need a uh... one of your batteries, please?”

"A battery?"

Olga put a reassuring paw on the toad, almost making him disappear under it:

"With all due respect" Olga began "I remembered helping you secure them in the luggage rack, and we urgently need a magic battery. Can you help us?”

"It's just, I... Hm... These batteries are for my son. He is going to marry a beautiful human and since she was born without batteries, I wanted to give them as a gift.”

"We only need one" Maxim said "just enough to help us, and then we could give it back to you, I guess?”

Mr. Dendrobov pouted, lowering his eyes.

"Mr. Dendrobov" Captain Crocovich gently insisted "We know how important these batteries are to you, you can imagine our situation if we’ve come to reach you and ask you for such a thing.”

Olga noticed that the train had stopped at the station. She went out of the compartment to check that no passengers were getting off - that the culprit was not leaving the train.

"Please Mr. Dendrobov" Crocovich repeated.

The chocolate toad sighed and finally gave in:

"Very well. I've got one of each magic. Which one do you need?”

"One of O magic”

The toad then leapt at Maxim, who barely refrained from slapping it away in a reflex.

"Let's go to my luggage rack, it's right next to the bathroom.”

Maxim then let himself be guided by the toad, Captain Crocovich behind him. They arrived at the luggage rack, filled with boxes in the shape of gifts, wrapped in strips of sour candy. Finding Mr. Dendrobov's stacks wasn't difficult, it was simply the largest rolls of hardened sugar paste. Maxim came to wonder how Mr. Dendrobov had been able to carry all these things by himself?

"In the pistachio case, it's the O battery."

Maxim retrieved it, while the Captain escorted Mr. Dendrobov back to his compartment. Maxim took the heavy battery on one of his shoulders, as he would have taken a trunk had he been a lumberjack, and returned to Mr. Rabb Itovich's cabin as the train was starting up again.

He almost tripped and clung to the wall, noticing that the texture was spongy and realized... the train was made of fucking gingerbread. He stumbled to the cabin, where Olga and Crocovich joined him. Olga walked past to reopen the rabbit's back, waiting for Maxim to insert the battery.

> Insert the battery. ([Chapter 8](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27080713/chapters/66123418))


	5. Inspect the crime scene.

“Hm, I'd like to inspect the crime scene. We might find clues as to how the culprit acted and how they fled." Maxim suggested.

"It's a good idea, after you Olga" Crocovich said.

Olga walked past them and guided them into the car in front of the dining car and pointed to the ground, which she had marked with strips of sour candy.

"No one else came, I asked my colleagues to watch each of their cars, and I marked off the area to make sure no one would step on it.”

"You never considered joining the police, Miss Gagarina?" Crocovich joked.

"I would have, had I a clean criminal record.”

Maxim and Crocovich widened their eyes. Olga laughed and patted their backs with her affectionate paws:

“Be reassured, I just stole a few clouds when I was younger, nothing serious.”

Crocovich seemed to relax.  
Maxim raised an eyebrow.  
He was going crazy. He was sure of it now.

The train stopped, reaching a train station but as Olga had told them, no passenger attempted to leave their compartment and all doors remained locked.

“Well, this being said, I recommend we proceed with the inspection of the scene, Lt. Basuda" Crocovich resumed "I know you're a real hunter, so what do you think so far?”

>   * "Hm there's nothing on the ground? Strange. Can you move a bit Olga, please? I'd like to **inspect the floor**." ([Chapter 6](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27080713/chapters/66123139/))  
>   
> 
>   * "Nothing on the walls. But… is there something on the ceiling, or is just a shadow? Can you move a bit Captain, please? I'd like to **inspect the ceiling**.” ([Chapter 7](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27080713/chapters/66123178/))
> 



	6. Inspect the floor.

"Hm there's nothing on the ground? Strange. Can you move a bit Olga, please? I'd like to inspect the floor." Maxim said.

Olga complied, moving her furry legs. Maxim noticed a kind of dark stain on the fake wood, he ran his fingers over it; it was raspy and almost sticky, as if someone had improperly cleaned a glass of sweet alcohol that had fallen earlier. Then he saw in the corner a small white piece that seemed out of place. He remembered someone’s voice explaining the importance of details. About watching for any colors, shapes or shadows that might look out of place, no matter how natural they could be.

He touched the substance with his fingertips and was even able to take a piece of it. He rubbed the thing between his fingers and sniffed it:

"It smells… sweet?"

He stood up to show his discovery.  
Olga took his hand in her paw and licked it.

"It's marshmallow.”

"Rabb Itovich has no marshmallow in his body!” Crocovitch cried.

"No. But I think I know who does..." Olga mumbled darkly "Mrs. Chocobeary. She complained about the heat the day before yesterday, explaining that it was melting her chocolate and uncovering her marshmallow. “

"What cabin does she stay in?” Crocovich asked.

"Follow me.”

They all ran to car 13 where Olga knocked on the door and called Mrs. Chocobeary repeatedly. No answer. Crocovich then motioned for her to move away, but Olga went first, and gave a powerful shoulder blow that smashed the cabin door open.

 _The cabin was empty._ There was melted chocolate and, on the furniture corners, where Mrs. Chocobeary had probably hit her limps, a bit of marshmallow here and there. But above all...

"THE BATTERY! ON THE TOP BUNK!” Crocovich exclaimed.

Mr. Rabb Itovich’s battery! Crocovich retrieved it and told Maxim:

"She can't have gone far, let's go and wake up Mr. Rabb Itovich and find out what this criminal was up to!”

The train started moving again almost at the same time. The trio then rushed into the cabin of Mr. Rabb Itovich. Olga opened the rabbit's back so that Maxim could insert the battery.

> Insert the battery. ([Chapter 8](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27080713/chapters/66123418))


	7. Inspect the ceiling

"Nothing on the walls. But… is there something on the ceiling, or is just a shadow? Can you move a bit Captain, please? I'd like to inspect the ceiling.” Maxim asked.

And indeed, there was a stain that was a little darker than average. Maxim slipped his fingers into it and they came out covered with a brownish substance. Olga imitated him and put her paw to her lips:

"Chocolate" she murmured.

Maxim confirmed this by tasting the substance with the tip of his tongue.  
He then asked:

"What could have put chocolate up there?"

“Well, obviously someone made of chocolate” Crocovitch replied “Are there some chocolate-passengers, Miss Gagarina?”

Olga rolled her eyes:

"Of course, at least half of them are chocolaty”

"If there's chocolate all the way to the ceiling, the person may have glued their hand to avoid falling during a stop or a tight turn. So, it shouldn't be a small passenger. Do you have an idea, Olga?" Crocovitch asked.

"I can't say, apart from Mr. Dendrobov, who is relatively small, anyone could have touched the ceiling. But, why wouldn't there be chocolate on the walls?”

"Because the person probably wanted to hide their tracks" Maxim mumbled to himself.

Olga started sniffing:

"Well... it's not just any chocolate, there’s some… other substance clinging to it. It creates a very special smell. Subtle, but special. Hmmm wait a minute, I think I can sniff it.”

Maxim raised an eyebrow. Olga stood straight, her snout almost stuck to the ceiling because she was so tall, high on her hind legs.

_And that's how Maxim found himself following a Siberian tiger dressed in a purple uniform sniffing the chocolate of a criminal who had stolen the battery from a giant rabbit._

They arrived in front of a compartment

"Mrs. Chocobeary's compartment?!” Olga cried out.

"Would the height match?" Maxim asked.

"Yes, it would.”

Crocovich started knocking at the cabin door:

"Mrs. Chocobeary?"

No answer. So he repeated:

"Mrs. Chocobeary? We’re very sorry to bother you, but we just wished we could ask you a few questions?”

"It seems very suspicious" Maxim grumbled.

Olga had had enough and decided to break the door down with her shoulder, smashing it.

The cabin was empty. There was melted chocolate everywhere, proving that Mrs. Chocobeary was indeed made of... er... chocolate. If her name wasn't enough. But what struck them all was...

"THE BATTERY! ON THE TOP BUNK!" Crocovich exclaimed.

Mr. Rabb Itovich’s battery! Crocovich retrieved it and told Maxim:

"She can't have gone far, let's go and wake up Mr. Rabb Itovich and find out what this criminal was up to!”

The train started moving again almost at the same time. The trio then rushed into the cabin of Mr. Rabb Itovich. Olga opened the rabbit's back so that Maxim could insert the battery.

> Insert the battery. ([Chapter 8](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27080713/chapters/66123418))


	8. Insert the battery

Maxim gently inserted the heavy battery, after checking that he was putting it in the right position. Olga closed Rabb Itovich's back and the rabbit started to breathe again. His breathing was slow, deep, and then suddenly he leapt to his seat, almost crushing everyone in the small cabin.

"CHOCOBEARY! CHOCOBEARY!” The rabbit cried.

Olga pushed him with her pads against the bunk to calm him down.

"Calm down, just breathe!" Crocovich said "What happened, my good sir?”

"The train, the station. Did we pass the City of Tart Sweets station?”

"Yes, we just passed it" Olga replied.

The rabbit froze, totally startled:

"She's going to commit an attack, quick! She's retrieved a bomb from the station!”

"But we clearly stated that no one should get off the train!” Crocovich exclaimed.

Olga began to growl, scolding herself:

"But we didn’t state that no one was to _get on_.”

Maxim shouted:

"What bomb?! Where is she going to blow it up?!”

"At the front of the train! She found out I was working with the Spooky Ghost Unit! Quick, she's going to blow it up! It's a terrorist attack!”

Maxim and Olga rushed into the corridor, Crocovich staying to look after the freaked out rabbit.

"I'm going through the roof!” Olga warned him "I'll be faster than you!”

"Roger, but are there any gun, a weapon, anything?!”

"Take the window breaker axe by the dining car’s bar”

Maxim went after it, now that this world had finally decided to speak to him _in intelligible words_. He retrieved the axe; that would do, anyway there was nothing better. He then ran across the hallway, losing some precious time on some old doors that were reluctant to open. The further he ran, the more he found melted chocolate residue on the floor or on the walls. He was getting close.

Car 8... Car 7... Car 6... He crossed the whole train as fast as he could, he was running through the doors to force them open like Oryx. Who was Oryx anyway? Or was it an animal? Did he have a pet at home? Where was home anyway?

He heard screams, human screams on either side of the closed windows, yet the cabins were silent. Where did it come from?

He continued towards the only goal that seemed clear to him, for lack of anything better. Car 5... Car 4... Car 3... Car 2... Car 1 and finally-

He got knocked out by Olga’s body. She had been thrown against him. Crushing him with her big cat's weight, Olga blocked his breathing and struggled to stand up:

"Fucking terrorist! You're going to kill hundreds of innocent people!”

"That's the goal! Our message will get through!” a female voice that Maxim guessed as the terrorist's cried.

Olga got up on all four, and jumped into the car where the drivers seemed to have disappeared. The coal-fired pit was close by, wide open, it was hot and Maxim was inhaling smoke. He then saw the tall terrorist: she was a huge bear, whose chocolate was melting because of the heat, twisting her face in an awful grimace and showing the truth beneath it: her white marshmallow face, like a white mask.

Olga fought like the real tigress she was, but the terrorist managed to control her and with a violent blow from the back of her chocolate arm, sent her waltzing... and threw her off the train.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOON OLGA" Maxim yelled.

Olga had just died, probably crushed by the wheels of the train.  
 _Had her corpse spit out fluff or blood?_

It didn't matter, because Maxim was seeing red. The bear stood proudly in front of him and retrieved the fireworks belt that Olga had torn off in the struggle.

"So, little human, do you think you can do it?”

"I'm sure we can find some common ground. Just tell me what you want.”

The bear began to laugh hoarsely, her face melting more and more:

"You're cute. But you know what happens when you try to negotiate with a terrorist, Maxim Basuda.”

Maxim threw himself on her with his axe and managed to slice her arm cleanly, the belt falling on the floor. She screamed and immediately threw her other arm in his direction, but Maxim dodged down, and using his leg, tried to front kick her... but his foot disappeared into the melted chocolate and got caught in the marshmallow like in quicksand. She laughed again and swept his other leg. Maxim fell backwards and she threw herself all over him. Maxim tried to raise the axe against her, but he was suffocating under the melted chocolate and the hot marshmallow that was sticking to all his body. His whole face was covered, and he couldn't breathe. He tried to fight like a madman, his survival instinct taking over, and his body triggering all possible reflexes to free himself from the threat.

Maxim thought he heard a distant voice:

_"Maxim! Hold on, please!”_

Who was it?

_"Maxim!!! I beg you, please… keep fighting!”_

But he was suffocating, and he couldn't see any light and-

Suddenly the marshmallow disappeared, the weight of the bear disappeared and Maxim quickly cleared his airways, wiping the chocolate out of his face with his hands to breathe again. He breathed in deeply, gutturally.

Olga had jumped out of nowhere and had pulled the terrorist out of him.

"That's for my children, bitch!”

Olga slit the bear's throat and red chocolate splashed on them. The tigress, whose white fur was now completely stained, came up to Maxim and licked his face clean.

_"That's it Maxim, all right. Easy. You’re doing so well.”_

But her lips had not moved.

"Did you say something, Olga?"

"No, I didn't. Did you hit your head, Maxim?"

Maxim shook his head, although honestly, he had just escaped death so yeah. Olga straightened up on her hind legs and the drivers, who had hidden at the front of the locomotive and tried to contact the emergency services by radio, returned to take control of the machine.

"We'll soon be arriving at Marshmallow Hills station" Olga warned him.

"Please, I don't want to hear about marshmallows anymore..." Maxim grumbled.

Olga laughed. He realized at that moment that Olga had the same laugh as his mother.  
She started licking her paw pads and the rest of her forearms to remove the melted chocolate:

"Well, what a story. Thank you for your help Mr. Basuda. Will you help me, please, to, um... take what's left of this terrorist down to the platform at the train station?”

Maxim didn't realize that the train had already stopped. Everything had happened so fast. He shrugged his shoulders and helped Olga carry the now shapeless piece of marshmallow down from the train. They put it on a corner of the platform, where a small group of gingerbread men with police caps came to take care of the rest.

Maxim felt a drop on his cheek. He looked up to the sky and felt another. It was lukewarm, though. Not like cold rain, or unpleasant. More like a very light summer rain, warmed by the sun of the day. He closed his eyes. It was pleasant. And it was... salty?

"It's raining seawater" Olga explained "It tastes like tears."

Maxim saw Crocovich get out of car 14 and run towards them, crawling even on his belly like a real crocodile was supposed to do.

"Thank God you are safe and sound!”

"Yes, and we can thank Mr. Maxim Basuda, who has been of unequalled courage.” Olga replied.

Maxim rolled his eyes because, frankly, Olga had been the one-wom… one-tigress army?  
Crocovich handed his webbed paw to Maxim. He squeezed it.

"It was a pleasure Lieutenant.”

The platform attendant began to whistle, signaling that the train was about to depart. The locomotive whistled in turn. Crocovich and Olga started to enter the train and Maxim followed them. But as they climbed up the step, Olga's paw pushed him back to the platform, stopping him from climbing on board.

"What?" Maxim asked.

"Can't you hear it?” she asked him.

"Yes, the train is whistling?”

"It’s whistling. But not for us. For you, Max."

Maxim squinted his eyes. _What the fuck was that sh-_  
Wait… That voice... Olga…  
How could he not get it sooner?

" _M-Mama_?” he muttered

The tigress smiled and gave him a new pat:

"This is your station, _malish_.”

"B-But! Wait!”

"Don’t worry, we’ll meet again at the terminal. Just... not now.”

The train started whistling again and Maxim had sea water in his eyes, but he was not crying.  
 _It was crying over him._ He wiped his cheeks:

" _Mama_ , what's happening to me?”

The train whistled again and Maxim heard a burst of voices around them:

_"Maxim... please..."_

Olga stroked his face. The train started moving. Maxim started to trot alongside so as not to break contact:

" _Mama!_ Wait _”_

"I am proud of you Maxim. Now go, don't keep him waiting!”

"Was it true? All of it? Were you?”

She didn't answer anything and just smiled. The train was going too fast and her pad let go of Maxim's cheek.

The train whistled a third time and Maxim got lost in the steam screen. It was fresh this time. It was coming in through his nostrils. It accompanied his breathing. Soon he saw nothing but white. The noises, the smells, everything dimmed out little by little, but at the same time everything suddenly seemed more... real?

He tightened his hand. He was holding something.  
Something warm and solid, yet a little soft.

 _"Maxim? Maxim can you hear me?_ ”

That voice... he recognized it. He loved it. But... whose was it?  
He felt a hand against his cheek. He wanted to open his eyes.  
 _Why was it so hard to open his eyes?_

"Maxim, oh baby, squeeze my hand once more if you can hear me.”

That voice... _Glaz?_ That was his name, right?  
Maxim tightened his hand again around the fingers he was holding.

"Oh my God, Max, this is it. Keep going, baby, you're doing so good. Lera?! Doc!”

Again a caress on his cheek, but this time it was much more palpable.

Much more real.

He opened his scabby eyes and immediately the light blinded him.  
He had to blink several times before he could adjust a little. He tilted his head slightly and recognized Timur's face.

His eyes were puffy, red, and Maxim remembered what Olga had told him about the seawater rain thing. _That it tasted like tears._

"Oh Maxim, I was so scared. I love you, I love you so much.”

Maxim was still completely groggy. He still didn't remember clearly what had happened. His body didn't quite respond yet, but seeing Timur's face, he at least knew he was real again. Alive.

"...a... a... eam..." he tried to articulate through his oxygen mask.

"What did you say? Take your time, baby" Timur whispered, covering Max's face with gentle caresses.

"I... had... a... dream.“

Timur chuckled and pressed his lips to Maxim's forehead.

"Tell me about it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :) I really hope you liked it and it made you smile.
> 
> I am very curious about what you thought, that was my first time writing a choose you own adventure thing, even tho it was very light.
> 
> Have a nice day \o/


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